Bridge.



No. 755,724. PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904. J. TOMLINSON.

BRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28, 1903.

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PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904.

J. TIOMLINSON.

BRIDGE.

APPLIGATIOI rILnn nov. 2a, 1903.

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h z'llzesses. filffM/rg I guished from the vertical tower.

- UNITED STATES Patented March 29, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

- BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,724, dated March29, 1904.

Application filed November 23, 1903. Serial No. 182 ,948. (N0 model.)

To al whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH TOMLINSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cedar Rapids,in the county of Linn, and Stateof Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridge Construction, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cantaliver suspension-bridges supported bysteel chains, wire ropes, or cables, and has for its object to improvethe construction of bridges of this character, so as to produce greatstrength and integrity of form with the least possible Weight ofmaterial.

The nature of the invention will fully appear from the description andclaims following, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is an ideal cross-section of a bridge embodying myimprovements, the inclined tower being an alternative form as distin-Fig. 2 is a plan of the cross-bracing connecting the upper chords acrossthe bridge. Fig.3 is a side view showing one end of said'bridge. Fig. 4is a plan of the floor or deck of the same. shows details of the maintruss, in which ex tensible posts are employed to produce initialstresses in the bracing. Fig. 6 shows the connection of the suspenderswith the upper chord of the main truss and its braces. Fig. 7 is afragmentary longitudinal section of one of the cables and its connectionwith a suspender. Fig. 8 is a transverse section of the same in the linea Z).

In the drawings, A designates the top chord, and B the bottom chord, ofa suspended structure. These are connected at suitable intervals byposts D and braces C, the ends of the posts and of theoppositely-inclined braces being secured to the chords by pins or boltsE passing through all the parts. The braces are riveted at everyintersection, thus forming a rigid lattice-work throughout the truss.The posts are made in two parts, the adjacent ends being united bysleeve-nuts F, by means of which a powerful end pressure may be exertedon the posts, thus forcing the chords apart and producing a strain onthe diagonal Fig. 5

lattice-bracing to any desired initial stress. The posts are united tothe diagonal bracing at the intersections and form abutments for the topcorner-braces G, which serve as brackets to support the top lateralstruts H and braces 1 at their intersections. These braces have aninitial compressive stress produced by bolts J, uniting the top chords.

The cables K are comparatively short, with looped ends, by which theymake a pin connection with supporting-saddles L,resting on the towers M,and at the other ends with the upper chords of the main truss, an extrastrong pin taking the cable-loop, chord, post, and intersecting braces.

By having the towers of spans of moderate length inclined toward eachother, as indicated by the tower at the right in Fig. 1, they will bemore stable laterally and form supports for cables. considerabledistances apart on both sides, allowing them and the suspenders toconverge to the chords at equal angles both inside and outside. Withvertical towers the convergence of the cables must be from the outsideonly, and the ties between the cables N serve to draw the cables towardeach other downwardly in a regular curve, bringing them finallyparallel, so as to fit on the pins at right angles thereto.

The upper ends of the towers are connected by transverse girders 0,reinforced to form firm supports under the eyebar-saddles, to

, which the upper ends of the cables in each di- The comparrection areconnected by pins. atively short cables extend from the towersaddlesdown through the top chords and unite with the posts, braces, and chordsin the manner already described. The pins should be of extra diameterand thebracing extra strong, so as to transmit cable stresses from theend of one cable to the opposite end of the structure.

The suspenders P, of wire rope, are looped at the middle over sleeves Q,securely bolted to the cables, the sleeves having seats Q formed thereonto take the suspender-loops. The lower ends of each suspender connectwith an eyebolt R, connecting by a sleeve-nut S with a similar eyeboltR, connecting with the upper chord, braces, and post by a pin, as shown.By this means the suspenders are drawn taut.

In some cases it is desirable to incline some of the suspenders, asshown at the left in Fig. 3, so as to embrace a considerable length ofthe main truss and hold it from a fixed point of support. In this casethe suspenders near the tower are attached at the upper ends to the samesaddle-pins as the cables and at the lower ends to the truss a panelslength or more from the tower. The Whole length of this cable is thendivided into as many spaces as there are remaining panels in this partof the truss, and suspenders are attached at such points.

To prevent the sleeves from sliding on the cables, supplementalcable-wires are added, and these are looped or bent at T over lugs orpins Q of the sleeves and folded back under the same. In practice thelowermost sleeves are first so secured, the long wires be; ing passedthrough the sleeves higher up on the cable. 1n the same manner thesucceeding sleeves are secured with additional Wires until all arefastened in place. Besides preventing the possibility of the sleevesslipping these wires give additional strength to the cables.

The inner sides of the suspender-sleeves have extra flanges Q to connectby suitable pins or bolts with eyebolts U, forming part of crossties U,to connect the inner cables on opposite sides of the structure. Propertension is se cured by sleeve-nuts U and by this means the cables may begradually drawn in from the upper ends, so that at the lower ends theylie at right angles to the pins passing through their lower loops.Similar but smaller cross-ties connect adjacent cables, as beforeexplained.

The deck or floor of the bridge is a latticework of flat steel bars V,riveted to the transverse and longitudinal girders of the lower chordsof the main trusses, thus forming a powerful auxiliary stiifener for themain trusses laterally and longitudinally, but serving in itself as anelastic support for railwayrails, as shown in Fig. 4, or forchannel-bars for wheeled vehicles, as shown in Fig. 1.

The whole of the suspended structure is thus arranged and connectedtogether to form a stiff and rigid hollow strut to resist thecompressive stresses of the cables, suspenders, and tension-braces.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In cantaliver suspension-bridges and like structures, the combinationwith supportingtowers and main trusses, of cables connecting at one endwith fixed supports on said towers, and at the other with the upperchords, posts and diagonal braces of said trusses, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. In a bridge structure, the combination with the main truss, cable andsuspenders, of sleeves to support said suspenders on the cables, andsupplemental cable-wires looped into said sleeves to prevent slipping.

3. The combination with a truss, supporting-cables, and suspenders,substantially as described, of sleeves to connect the suspenders to thecables, flanges at the side of said sleeves, and cross-ties connectingtherewith.

4. In a bridge structure, a truss composed of upper and lower chords,connecting diagonal braces, and extensible posts connecting at the endswith said chords and braces, whereby initial stresses may be imparted tothe bracing.

5. In a bridge structure, the combination with pairs of cables separatedat their upper ends, and converging at the lower ends, trusses supportedby said cables, and suspenders to connect the cables and trusses, ofsleeves to support the suspenders on the cables, and cross-tiesconnecting said pairs of cables, and whelreby their lower ends may bedrawn paralle In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence oftwo witnesses.

JOSEPH TOMLINSON.

Witnesses:

R031. L. ZOLLINGER, J. M. ST. JOHN.

